I’m new here. My partner and I lost one of our babies last night.

Nutella (1yo) started acting strange around 7pm on Wednesday. I did our evening routine where I call them and give them their treats and then feed them dinner. Nutella came out for her treat, but then went back in one of their play boxes — this was pretty normal behavior for her; she loved hiding when eating her treats. But when I shook the pellets box, she didn’t come out. I figured she wasn’t hungry yet or was just too distracted bc we rearranged their toys. About 7:45, she still didn’t eat her pellets. So I tried feeding her oat (her favorite treat) and she didn’t take it. I tried oat hay, which was also her favorite, and she didn’t take it. We immediately called the vet and they asked us to bring her in.

When we got to the vet, the doctor said that Nutella had some gas, but it was nothing concerning. Her temperature was fine, but they wanted to keep her overnight for observation. The next day, Thursday (yesterday), the vet called us around noon and said Nutella was doing great — she pooped, was eating, and was acting like a bunny should. She was ready to go home. But, around 5pm, the vet called again and said Nutella had a slight fever and that they would like to keep her for one more day. They were not sure how or why she got the fever, but again, they did not seem overly concerned.

Around 7pm last night, we called the vet to check in and see how Nutella was doing. The doctor’s next few words almost paralyzed my partner and I. The doctor said that Nutella started dying about 5 minutes before we called. It was devastating. We immediately drove to the vet to say our goodbyes. The doctor was in as much shock as we were.

Our drive home was difficult. While we were devastated about Nutella’s sudden passing, our hears were aching for her sister, Coconut. They loved each other so much. Nutella would follow Coconut around and loved snuggling with her. It was sad seeing Coconut hopping around, seemingly looking for her sister.

We didn’t know until late last night that it would be helpful for Coconut to see Nutella’s body. Unfortunately, when I called the vet this morning, they said it was no longer an option to take Nutella home. They suggested we buy Coconut a stuffed animal for her to cuddle with. We really want to do right by Coconut. I’ve read several posts about bunnies dying within a few days after their bonded pair’s death, and I want to do anything and everything I can to avoid that. Any suggestions would be appreciated. We just want to help Coconut get through this.